On Tuesday Rick Niswander, vice chancellor for finance and administration, estimated the cost of repairs could reach as high as $1 million. He estimated at least 70 trees larger than 10 inches in diameter were blown over or were so severely damaged they will need to be removed.

Classes will resume Wednesday after two days of clean up. Yet, as Hagan pointed out while eyeballing campus damage, it will take weeks before work is complete.

The senator and her aides began their tour at Greene residence hall, where wind pried at the roof enough to break a storm drain pipe underneath and send water into the building. About two dozen students were moved to the lobby during the storm.

Five students from three rooms have been relocated to another residence hall for a few weeks while permanent repairs are made.

Hagan also toured damage in Spilman, an administration building built in the 1920s that houses the chancellor’s office. Irene snatched metal sheeting off the roof and rain soaked ceilings and walls inside, including in the chancellor’s conference room.

“It will be many weeks,” Hagan said outside Spilman, shaking her head at a pile of sodden insulation ready to be carted off. A short distance away, on Chancellor’s Way, a chain saw ripped at fallen limbs and a backhoe droned, lifting away broken limbs.

Sen. Kay Hagan views the damage inside the Spilman Building, where major damage to the roof and ceilings took place.

Niswander said many people worked very hard to ready campus to resume classes.

“We are focused primarily on making sure the campus and our buildings are clean and safe and getting back to classes,” he said.